Ian

I've been thinking a lot about Ian Curtis' suicide recently. Joy Division's lead singer put on a record of Iggy Pop's The Idiot and hung himself exactly 25 years ago this past Friday. Today is the anniversary of his funeral.

He was clearly wrestling with demons, had increasingly debilitating epilepsy, and his epilepsy medications only increased his depression. But in some way his ability to tap into that darkness helped make him the songwriter (and stage presence) that he was.

It's been said that he was in love with the cult of the dead rock star, the flower killed before it fully blooms, the immortality of dying too young.

I think that's twisted and selfish, and while maybe it's had some affect on his legend, I like to think that Joy Division would have been revered and acclaimed as much regardless. Sure, there's no chance to decline, but you don't cement your legend by never being bad, just by (for some brief moment) capturing something transcendent.

He did.